Coordinates: 51°15′27″N 0°00′24″W / 51.25738°N 0.00653°W / 51.25738; -0.00653

Oxted
High Street, Old Oxted
Oxted  Oxted shown within Surrey
Population	12,576 [1]
OS grid reference	TQ392528
- London	17.9 mi (28.8 km)
District	Tandridge
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	OXTED
Postcode district	RH8
Dialling code	01883
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	East Surrey
List of places UK England Surrey

Oxted is a commuter town and civil parish in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, north of East Grinstead and south-east of Croydon.

History [edit]

The town lies within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Tandridge hundred.

Oxted appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Acstede, meaning 'Place where oaks grew'. It was held by Eustace II of Boulogne. Its Domesday assets were: 5 hides; 1 church, 2 mills worth 12s 6d, 20 ploughs, 4 acres (16,000 m²) of meadow, pannage worth 100 hogs. It rendered £14 and 2d from a house in Southwark.^[2]

The original village of Oxted (now Old Oxted) is a small village centred around a short high street with four pubs (The Old Bell, The George Inn, The Crown Inn and The Wheatsheaf) just off the A25. Oxted's oldest church (St Mary's) was built some distance north-east from the original settlement of Oxted, but it is almost surrounded by the new town. The church dates from at least Norman times and stands on a conspicuous mound, perhaps artificial. It is possible that a Saxon church of wattle and daub existed on the site before the later stone construction. With the arrival of the railway in 1884 (after many years' delay caused by lack of funds) Oxted boomed around its station, north-east of Old Oxted), and new buildings created "New Oxted". These new buildings were built in the Tudor style. All Saints Catholic Church was built in 1913-1928. Because of World War I, the building period was drawn-out. It was designed by prominent British "Arts & Crafts" architect James Leonard Williams (died 1926, his other work include Royal School of Needlework, St George’s in Sudbury, London (1926–27), The Pound House in Totteridge (1907))

The Greenwich Meridian runs through Oxted, passing through Oxted School.

In 2011 The Daily Telegraph listed Oxted as the twentieth richest town in Britain.^[3]

Oxted is one of the few Surrey towns to retain its town brass band, Oxted Band, which has been a permanent fixture within the town since 1901.^[4]

Notable residents [edit]

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

• American writer and poet Stephen Crane lived in Oxted in 1897, where he met writers such as Joseph Conrad and Ford Madox Ford.
• Artist Albert Houthuesen lived and painted in Oxted in 1950.
• Since the 1970s businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed has lived at Barrow Green Court and farm near Oxted.^[5]
• Band Rooster come from the Oxted area.
• Photographer Bert Hardy moved to Oxted in 1964 and died there in 1995.
• Palaeontologist, TV presenter and author, Alan Charig lived in Oxted from 1958 until his death in 1997.
• Singer Louise, formerly of the band Eternal and now married to footballer Jamie Redknapp, lived in Oxted during her childhood.
• Television presenter Kim Woodburn lives in Old Oxted ^[6]
• Footballers who have lived in Oxted include Julián Speroni, goalkeeper for Crystal Palace Football Club, Ian Pearce who is currently assistant manager at Lincoln City Football Club, Hull City A.F.C. striker Nicky Forster, former Manchester City and Middlesbrough midfielder, Jamie Pollock, and former Hearts winger, David Wagstaff, retired to Oxted in 1993.
• Thomas Ernest Bennett 'Tibby' Clarke lived in Oxted in the 1950s: his Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt derives its name from an almagamation of near-by villages Limpsfield and Titsey.

Education [edit]

Oxted's main school is Oxted School (Oxted County School until 2000), which is a large secondary school. Opened in 1929, it has over 2000 pupils and is one of the largest in the country. There are two other state schools in Oxted, Downs Way primary school and St Mary's C of E junior school.

There is one private school, Hazelwood School (co-education 2.5 to 13 years).

Governance [edit]

There is one representative on Surrey County Council, conservative Nick Skellett CBE.^[7] There are a total of six representatives on Tandridge District Council with much of Oxted South being Hurst Green :

There is also a parish council with 11 members shared with Hurst Green, Surrey described as Oxted, it being in the same post town.^[9]

Nearest settlements [edit]

Nearest settlements

	Caterham	Woldingham	Titsey
	Godstone		Limpsfield
		Oxted
	Tandridge, Surrey	Crowhurst, Surrey	Hurst Green, Surrey

Pram race [edit]

Oxted is host to a charity pram race held annually. It was started in 1977 by Eric and Elsie Hallson, who ran it for nearly 20 years before retiring. Entrants wear fancy dress and must push a pram around the two thirds of a mile course, stopping at each of the seven licensed premises on the way to quaff a drink as quickly as they can. The race ends in Old Oxted high street where the road is closed for the evening and a street party is held.^[10]

See also [edit]

• Oxted railway station and the Oxted Station Outrage, a farcical incident in which Harold Laski bombed the men's lavatory at Oxted railway station in a gesture of solidarity with the suffragettes.^[11]
• Oxted School
• Titsey Place

References [edit]

v t e District of Tandridge Towns, villages and hamlets Bletchingley Burstow Caterham Caterham on the Hill Caterham Valley Chaldon Chelsham Crowhurst Dormansland Farleigh Felbridge Felcourt Fickleshole Godstone Hamsey Green Horne Hurst Green Limpsfield Limpsfield Chart Lingfield Newchapel Nutfield Oxted Smallfield Tandridge Tatsfield Titsey Warlingham Whyteleafe Woldingham Places of Worship Church of St John the Baptist, Outwood London England Temple Education Caterham School De Stafford School Hazelwood School Oakhyrst Grange School Oxted School Warlingham School Woldingham School Transport Caterham railway station Dormans railway station Godstone railway station Hurst Green railway station Lingfield railway station Nutfield railway station Oxted railway station Upper Warlingham railway station Whyteleafe railway station Buildings and structures Lingfield Park Racecourse Orpheus Centre Sanderstead Court Titsey Place Sport Football Farleigh Rovers F.C. Lingfield F.C. Warlingham F.C. Whyteleafe F.C. Cricket Caterham Cricket Club